When I did one, we kept it in a medium flat rate box to keep a standard box size and price. Otherwise the box tends to unintentionally grow a little larger each time. Also, maybe you could consider a continuous one where people keep getting added to the end?

Aren’t the rules you have to use a new flat rate box every time? Someone else might not know that and then the tea might be tossed out by the post office. Also, personally it would take me longer than three days to go to the post office to get a flat rate box, bring it back home to put the tea in it and then go back another day. I think the usual box would be fine! And it would also be able to be recycled… until the box gets too beat up, that is. And with the continuous list, isn’t Amanda supposed to be the last person to get the box since she put the tea in the box in the first place? It would seem kind of unfair to her. Also it would be harder to map out the best route if people keep getting added to the list. :D

I agree with all your statements except the first. Pretty sure that flat rates can be reused as I have done so many times after getting something in one. Maybe I have been lucky.
Oh and I do also believe that the post office will bring you some flat rates all you have to do is either ask your mail carrier or go online and order them (free).

For the one I ran, we just kept reusing a medium flat rate box until it was too beat up, there wasn’t any problems that I know of. I’ve just found that people tend to put it in a bigger and bigger box when it does need to be replaced, so the person at the end may be stuck with really high shipping charges :( Though of course if it’s just a few people, that’s not a problem!

Oh, I guess I didn’t word it well enough. There’s obviously a big demand for this, so a continuous one may be a good idea at some point (it would probably need to be a flat rate box!). There’s always someone who’s wanting to clear out their tea, so if someone like that wants to start it, that could work. There’s all kinds of options. But I agree it wouldn’t be fair for her to send a bunch of tea out and get none in return! :(

I hope that if I make it clear enough that the box’s weight should be roughly the same by putting back in only as much as is taken out, we can keep it the same. And also maybe pushing affordability: even if you can afford to add several ounces to the box, remember that a couple of people have to send across borders, and also what you can afford others along the chain might not like to spend on shipping.

I want to make the boxes continuous though, so once they get back, I want to start them over, and I’ll make sure the first people to sign up then are new. I didn’t realize there would be so much demand, I thought it’d take a few days to get 24 people, not slightly over a day!

I could have swore that it was the flat rate boxes you couldn’t reuse. Maybe they changed the rules?? I personally wouldn’t reuse the flat rate boxes, as I wouldn’t want it getting thrown out for possibly breaking a post office rule.

If I make a US only box I will ask everyone if they want to do a flat rate box. Anyone who doesn’t can be at the start, when most likely the box wouldn’t even weigh enough for a flat rate box to be worthwhile. Then it can switch to one if someone would them be ok with picking up a box. I think that would make it easy to give people the option if they’d rather not spend $10 on postage.
Might work. I just thought of it now so I will take a look at everyone signed up again.

You CAN reuse flat rate boxes – I use them for work and we send them back and forth until they fall apart.

You CANNOT use a priority or flat rate box and ship REGULARMAIL. You CANNOT wrap a priority box and ship it REGULARMAIL. They just want you to use a priority box for priority shipping since they are giving you the box.

I think it would be alot of fun to do an International Swap where we would each have a partner to exchange with. I love trying teas from other countries that you cannot get here. Maybe others like to also? I’d be willing to run an international swap of this sort – not a continuing box but having a partner to swap with if anyone is interested.

I think that was what I was confusing! I think it was because I tried to use a flat rate box to ship at the regular rate. So disregard everything I said about not reusing flat rate boxes.

I also don’t think a flat rate box would be that necessary, especially if Amanda said it would start around two pounds. I sent out a huge traveling box of tea once (bigger than a shoebox), and I don’t remember it being $10. I think it might have been $6 and it was packed full. Of course it would be different every time anyway.